


Home is a Place with You!

by winstonsfolly



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bechdel Test Pass, Caffine (Addiction Recovery), Consentual home invasion, Cooking, Domesticity, Emphasis on Scenery, F/M, Feminist Undertones, Fluff, Humiliation associated with catsup consumption, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implications of Hell, Love at First Sight, Mentions of Winston - Freeform, Natura-technological Coexistence, References to Cats (2019), The Horrifying Ordeal of being Perceived and Subsequently Cherished, brockhampton - Freeform, environmental awareness, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:27:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23083954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winstonsfolly/pseuds/winstonsfolly
Summary: If presented the choice to take a two-month-long vacation or to continue her medical fieldwork while saving countless lives, Dr. Angela Ziegler would have certainly chosen the latter. But this time she wasn’t given the luxury of choice; Dr. Ziegler had been given an ultimatum. Her organization’s employer demanded she take a vacation or face imminent termination. She was to spend the next two months on paid-leave, idling about in some far-off coastal town while she experienced a ‘rejuvenation of the soul’ - a bold promise from the flyer she had received.
Relationships: Bastion/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler
Kudos: 6





	Home is a Place with You!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Liquid for writing this lovely Mercy x Bastion fic!! I am forever grateful!

Angela wasn’t thrilled to be away from work, she loved what she did. Ever since switching organizations following the last omnic crisis, she had found herself working 24-7. She knew that a busy schedule and an over-abundance of work caused stress and mental fatigue. She was a doctor, of course she knew the repercussions. But she wholly believed that applied to everyone else, not her. 

It took several concerned coworkers to bring her health to light. In their own words ‘her intervention was long overdue’ -a sentiment she faced with a grin but secretly resented. In reality, Angela’s health was becoming compromised by her work. She had been putting in far too many hours on the floor with hardly any thought for her own self-preservation. It was in her nature to be selfless but according to others, her dedication to her occupation was becoming hazardous.

“We’re sending you on a two-month retreat.” Her employer had informed her.

Part of her wanted to argue. She was Dr. Angela Ziegler. She had weathered countless battles and fought in both Omnic Crises. But part of her, a lesser part, agreed. She had been weathered as of late. Tasks that came easily to her started to weigh heavily on her mind. Angela thought that maybe this was for the best. With some rejuvenation she would be back to her old self and be able to help countless people.

And that was that. She nodded obediently and asked when her leave would start secretly missing her old employer, the sexy 29-year old genetically engineered gorilla, Winston. 

“Effective immediately.” Her employer had told her. The words echoed in her mind the next morning. She bit the inside of her cheek in frustration. As usual, it was in the early hours of the next morning when she thought of her most witty objections and rebuttals. A month was rather ridiculous!

Ridiculous as it was, this was her reality. Angela was promised two months of leisure on a vacation she literally couldn’t refuse. Two months of hell, Angela thought. It would take at least two months to learn to wake up in the morning without a set agenda. Perhaps it was true that her workaholic tendencies would cause her demise faster than any battlefield injury.

As she had been dispatched on only a moment's notice, she began packing immediately. Her quarters were within the organization and her belongings were limited so packing was somewhat a breeze. She checked the watch on her wrist, the time read: 0600hrs. She had one hour to catch the ferry. About two years ago at this time she would normally be making her rounds at the med bay in Islamabad. Six a.m. would occasionally mean ending an all night shift if she was lucky. She never imagined she would be catching a ferry at this hour for non-work related purposes. It was unthinkable!

She arrived at the ferry’s loading station exactly on time. It was becoming of a well-renowned doctor to be punctual after all, she thought. She pulled the company rented car onto the allotted location on the ferry, turning down the radio to wait for the undocking announcement. The song faded out until it was just her alone with her thoughts. She loved listening to her favorite band, Brockhampton, but now was simply not the time! Angela rolled down the window as she toyed with the car’s locking mechanism, pushing it down as far as it would go. Having so much free time was unprecedented. 

The announcement broadcast over the ferry’s loudspeakers that they would be taking off shortly. Angela groggily rubbed her temple, it was mornings like these when she could really go for a cold iced water. After renouncing her dependence on caffeine entirely, water became her favorite and only beverage. She left the car and searched for the ferry’s passenger waiting area. She came to the conclusion that there had to be a vending machine around somewhere. It was a universal constant that vending machines appear in any liminal space. 

She looked from one brightly colored sign to the next. Although she spoke dutch fluently, Angela was having a hard time recalling the word for vending machine. She found the restrooms, and even a rest area with benches but still no vending machine. As she passed by the doors to the deck, she felt the lurch of the engines. The ferry began to hum as it took off, the shaking of the engines almost threw her off balance.

A group of tourists passed by her in excitement as they went outside. A rush of seabreeze cooled her face as the door opened. She followed the group to watch as the ferry pulled out away from the dock.

Angela leaned against the railing staring across the water. The sun was slowly rising over the channel, misting the waters with a hazy warmth. The eager waves were turbulent, exciting, and frothing in their determination to jostle the ship; although their presence was never frightening. They crashed peacefully and magnificently against the ship’s hull in only a way that nature and technology could achieve together. Their shared rhythm created a beautiful moment in time. She watched as dolphins chattered, breaking the water’s surface to accompany the ferry as they had done all their lives.

Sehr schön… Angela thought. She had almost forgotten how beautiful the early mornings could be outside of the sterilized white of hospital rooms.

Angela arrived at the seaside town several hours later. She was welcomed by soft rocky shorelines and a cloud of seagulls above. Although the weather was presently calm, the accumulating heavy clouds promised stormy weather was on its way. The coinciding port was quaint, eventually tapering out to a small seaside town. The sight was nothing short of charming. It was a sight pulled straight from a children's book; all of the buildings were brightly painted and the locals wore bright, genuine smiles.

She pulled the rental car in a long-term parking spot. Something told her she wouldn’t be needing to drive for a while. She opened the back and pulled out her two suitcases and knapsack with ease. Normally her luggage was stuffed with medical charts, important documents and emergency supplies. But these two particular suitcases were only filled with clothes and leisurely books. She began to walk across the parking lot towards the visitor’s center. For some reason or another, she felt her heart flutter. The promise of adventure alighted something in her. 

“Hey, Miss. You look a bit lost. Can I help you?” A polite looking elderly woman approached her. Angela wasn’t used to such nice treatment in unfamiliar situations. In her line of work she was accustomed to bluntness and professional politeness by strangers who smiled with their lips but never with their eyes.

“Do you need help?” The woman repeated as she touched Angela’s shoulder gently.

“Yes, actually.” Angela smiled coming closer to the woman. She dug through her knapsack to pull out a series of papers. She searched through the papers to find the map she had printed out. The address was hardly legible as the ink seemed to have run out, both women had to squint to properly read the papers. “Would you mind telling me where to find this address?”

“I can’t say I’ve ever seen this cottage before?” The woman scratched her head, “And I’ve lived in this village my whole life. But the address should be just beyond the south of town. You’ll know you’re close when you see the fields of lavender.” It was to be expected that the woman had never heard of this address; it was supposedly a secret cottage owned by the organization.

“Danke.” Angela dug around once more through her knapsack. She handed the woman a small tin of Danish butter cookies she had purchased before the ferry ride leaving Denmark. “Here I want you to have these.”

“You’re an incredibly kind young soul.” The woman accepted the cookies, with a large grin painted on her face. She shook Angela’s hand before ambling off.

Young?

Angela chuckled to herself. The people here were very kind. 

She walked through the town, admiring all of the beautiful architecture. The buildings lining the cobblestone streets were of all shapes and sizes and were painted with bright hues that demanded her attention. She marveled at everything. She enjoyed watching the people and falling in love with the sights and sounds of her surroundings. She was filled with nostalgia; these streets reminded her when she was a young girl, still living in Lucerne. She had been all over the world and still every new place she visited took her by surprise in ways she never knew existed. 

As Angela neared the hill at the end of town, she noticed the sky finally began to darken. The clouds swirled above with colors of seagreen and blue; the storm was finally starting to roll in. The lights of the town began to dim. Windows and storefronts were locked down tight in anticipation of the coming downpour. I better hurry and find that cottage, Angela thought.

She turned to the right and noticed the fields of lavender in the distance. Impressive rows of purple lined the horizon surrounding a beautifully painted windmill, rattling slightly in the wind. It obviously hadn’t been the first time it rained that day because the petrichor still hung faintly in the air and the flowers looked stunningly vibrant. Angela wanted to stay and admire the view for a little bit longer but heavy droplets started to fall on the top of her head encouraging her to seek shelter. 

Angela started to lightly jog, the trail tapered off into a light forest. As the rain hastened, so did she. Up ahead she saw a cottage resembling the cottage she was looking for. The Cottage was painted pink although the coloring was hard to see under the dim haze of the storm around her. To her delight, the address matched the one printed on her map. She ran up to the door, the downpour ever persistent around her. As the rain chilled her further, a powerful shiver went through her body. Angela fumbled with the key trying to open the door.

A clap of thunder sounded from above just as Angela found the right key. She ended up opening the door quicker than anticipated and fell to the floor. In any other setting she would have been completely embarrassed especially if there had been other people around to witness what had just transpired. Angela propped herself up, laughing to herself.

Then she noticed something that made her blood run cold as the rain outside.

Someone had seen her.

A looming figure stood in complete darkness; nearly as tall as the ceiling and rigid as a mountain. It was a bastion unit! The bastion unit towered over her, the blue light from his sensor thankfully indicated his peaceful mode was activated. 

“P-pardon me!” As Angela rushed to her feet, she suddenly felt off-balance. In the process of getting up she had slipped on a puddle of rain! Damn these 6-inch Chanel combat high heels, she thought.

She felt a mechanical hand rest on the small of her back, catching her fall. The robot’s touch was firm, but gentle. Angela was quite literally swept off her feet by this stylish, mechanical debonair. 

“Danke.” Angela breathed out, looking up into the blue light of the bastion unit’s sensor. The soft glow of his sensor light was reminiscent of the icy waves on the water she had seen earlier that day. An icy blue… A code blue, Angela thought facetiously. And even though her heart nearly stopped beating, Angela knew that cardiopulmonary arrest was not to blame. The feeling was unfamiliar, yet so distinct; a series of elevated emotions accumulating in one automatical desire. In that moment, Angela knew what love meant. 

“Perhaps I have the wrong address? I didn’t know this house was occupied.” She hadn’t been expecting someone else to be inside, let alone such a dashing stranger. She was embarrassingly flustered as she compared the pictures of the interior on the sheet to the room around her. It certainly was the same house and the address on the front was correct.

“Dweeeee-dweee-doo. ZZZZZZrrrhrhththhhtttttttzop.” The Bastion unit hummed and clicked in response.

Oh.

Apparently, he hadn’t been there for long. Bastion had just come in to find shelter. She hadn’t noticed before, but Bastion was also wet from the rain. His metallic body glistened with moisture, reflecting the lighting appliances from the kitchen. 

“How did you get in when the door was locked!?” Angela asked in surprise.

“ZeeeeepZop.” His reply was urbane; his words apparently as smooth as his touch. Bastion helped Angela to stand up as they both looked at the other side of the cottage at the broken window with a Bastion-shaped silhouette in it. Rain continued to pour in as the curtains shook restlessly in the wind.

“We’ll fix that later.” Angela said. “Not to worry!”

Setting her suitcases and knapsack aside, Angela paced over to the living area. Her mind was abuzz desperately trying to process the whole situation. The bastion unit was apparently just as confused as she was. Although their circumstances were unique, Angela couldn’t help being grateful for the company. After traveling all day, she was in a state of fatigue and needed someone to talk to. 

“Do you mind if I make a quick call?” Angela reclined on the rose-colored settee and took out her Nokia flip phone. Bastion beeped thrice before promptly going back to the kitchenette to prepare a salmon quiche.

Angela clicked through her contacts and selected her employer’s number. She tried to call them but the number wasn’t working. 

“This is ridiculous!” Angela laughed. “I’ve never been in a situation like this in my life!”

Bastion took out some ingredients from the fridge and rigidly shook his entire body as if to say, “but are you wholly unhappy with this current state of affairs?” all that came out was a single beep.

“Not at all!” Angela laughed. “Actually, I feel happy right now. Something about being with you puts me completely at ease.” Bastion, who was using his gatling gun as an electric whisk, stopped what he was doing and looked over at her inquisitively with his blue sensor light. Angela blushed when she realized what she had said. “That was certainly a strange thing to say,” she admitted “but you’re very easy to talk to.”

“Boop Beep Boooop.” Bastion booped.

“Thanks for that.” Angela said, “If only the next two months could be exactly like today. I don’t think I would mind living here for a while. “I feel like nothing could ruin this moment.” She smiled.

There was a situationally ironic knock at the door.

“Who’s there?!” Angela asked.

“I believe you know who.” Came a menacing voice from the other side of the door. Angela went to open up the door and was met with a tall looming figure. There, standing in the doorframe, was her ethically ambiguous arch nemesis in the medical field.

“Moira O’derain! What are you doing here!?” Angela almost couldn’t believe it. The last time she had seen Moira was on the battlefield, doing something incredibly evil. Now she was looming before her, soaking wet and eating a hot dog.

Moira's eyes sharply focused on Angela and each of her arm movements were hypnotically precise; she shuffled and twitched as if she was a graceful CGI cat tormented to a life of dancing on the big screen in search of some fruitless endeavour called the Jellicle Ball. “Angela, I believe you have something of mine.” Moira took another bite of her hot dog, menacingly. Catsup spilled out onto her finely pressed suit. She applied even more catsup generously -as any villain would- and took another bite.

“And what might that be?” Angela asked.

“Something I’ve been missing for a long time-” Moira said.

“Basic morality?” Angela questioned.

Moira clicked her tongue. “No. Talon wants your famous cake recipe!” Moira said, immersing herself further within the taste of catsup and finishing the dog.

“Talon!?” Angela said in surprise. “What could they possibly want with Grandmother’s cake recipe?!”

“We need it to win the baking tourney, Angela. With your cake recipe, Talon will win the tourney and we'll finally have enough money to buy this plot of land and turn it into a parking garage just as it was always meant to be!” Moira grinned. Even her grin was evil. 

“Talon is a huge -and I cannot stress this enough- evil organization. You should already have enough money to do that.” Angela said.

“We are great at many things: assassinations, government corruption, Rihanna karaoke, but financing is not one of them. We spent all of Talon’s budget a long time ago on large quantities of h-” Moira hissed, “no, I’ve said too much!”

“On what!? What could you have possibly spent all that money on?” Angela asked frantically.

“As you know, Talon is very secretive. We are under no obligation to tell you.” Moira took several more hot dogs from her pocket and drenched the meat entirely in red catsup. Which she wickedly took a bite out of. 

"You should just hand over that secret family cake recipe right now and avoid yourself the inevitable embarrassment that awaits you at the tricounty baking tournament tomorrow.”

“I never even signed up for that!” Angela said.

“I signed you up a few hours ago.” Moira said.

“Oh you are evil!” Angela exclaimed suddenly feeling very faint. 

“I shall see you tomorrow then.” Moira walked backwards into the rain, already pulling out another hot dog and bottle of catsup from her comically large pants pockets. Angela shut the door and turned to Bastion who was waiting to comfort her. 

This was horrific news! Red, hot tears flooded down her face. Angela couldn’t lose this place! Not after everything that had happened. There were so many fond memories associated with it: her chance encounter with Bastion; the salmon quiche; the phone call to her boss…

Angela curled up on the soft rug on the floor. She sank her hands into her palms and gave a heavy sigh. "Oh Bastion, we're really in it now." She spoke dejectedly. “How will I ever manage to win that baking tournament? I don’t even remember Grandmother’s cake recipe!”

Bastion went over to accompany her on the floor. He put his robotic hands on her shoulders and gave a monotone buzz. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her in her time of sadness. Angela took one of Bastion’s hands and kissed the metallic covering. 

“This is all so much! I just need some sort of distraction.” She cried out. Angela felt Bastion wipe away a tear from her cheeks. She looked up at him as he spoke next. 

His processing system responded with a chipper "Bweep-zzt!" but his lighting module flashed as if to say, "If you're feeling lonely don't ever hesitate to let me know and I'll always provide a place for you to rest your head."

"Oh Bastion!" Angela said as she began as she fiddled with her hands. She was unsure how to phrase her words correctly. She wanted what she said to come off as genuine as possible because, for the first time in her life, she wanted to convey her feelings properly.

"Zzzzzzep-BEEP." Eloquent as ever, Bastion responded. “Bweeeeeee” His light flashed off and on to blue. Angela's heart nearly melted.

"I was about to say the same thing.” Angela laughed. She wasn't used to hearing such nice words directed at her. It was pleasant.

Angela looked down at Bastion's hands resting at his sides. She imagined what it might be like to hold his hand. The feeling of intertwined fingers; an intimacy so foreign to her she became flushed at the very notion. Oh Bastion… I wish there were more ways to tell you that you don’t have to be alone.

Angela paused and looked back up at Bastion. “Have you seen the lavender fields?” She asked him shyly. 

“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP” Bastion said.

“Aha, of course you have. That field’s magnificence is hard to miss!” Angela laughed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and blushing. He had such a way with words.

When Bastion spoke again, it was with a newfound passion. He rose to his feet and began a series of hums and clicks and windows startup noises. His sensor flickered excitedly as he hummed and vibrated. 

“You want to go out right now and show me something?! But it’s raining!” Angela said. “We’ll be soaked again in no time!”

Bastion went into the kitchenette again and brought out an industrial sized tarp large enough to cover the both of them. He opened the door and motioned for her to come closer. She shyly crossed the floor to join him underneath the tarp. 

Angela blushed as she huddled closer to Bastion, she was flush against his metallic body. With her ear so close to him, she could hear all the mechanisms inside him. It reminded her of a heartbeat. Bastion noticed her blushing and he beep-booped in response. Wie süß! this robot was going to charm her to death, she thought.

Together, they walked outside. Although the storm surrounded them, together underneath the tarp they felt safe and secure. It was just the two of them and no one else in their own little world. Angela followed Bastion’s lead. He led her along the garden path behind the house and into the woods. 

Angela rubbed her arms in a desperate attempt to warm herself up. Es ist so kalt! She felt a sudden warmth emanating from Bastion’s body. He had turned on his internal space heater and began to warm her up. His very presence meant safety to her and she began to relax. He tilted his head knowingly and she rested her head against him.

“Thank you, Bastion.” Angela leaned up to place a gentle kiss on his face.

“Bwoo W-w-woooooom.” Bastion replied. 

They wandered for a bit until they came across a meadow as vast as the eye could see. Gazing out over the field felt like watching time itself stop. The weather had mellowed out somewhat; the downpour had softened considerably, now only peppering the field with little raindrop kisses. 

“Chirr chir BEEP.” Bastion said. “Bbwwooom”

“I agree.” Angela said. 

Unlike the rows of lavender flowers confined to perfectly fitted lines, these flowers grew wild and in an abundance of colors. It was obvious that these fields were generations old, they were pristine in every way. These flowers were strangers to harm, completely untouched by people. Angela was slightly envious of the flowers bewitching persistence; they were untamed and would only ever abide to their own rules.

“We can’t let this land be ruined!” Anglea said with newfound confidence. “With everything that I have- I want to protect these fields. We can’t let Talon ruin this beauty with their parking lot. Don't it always seem to go?” Angela asked sadly, “that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?”

“Chirr chirr chirr chirr.” Bastion whizzled. 

“Of course I will put everything I have into winning that baking tournament, Bastion! I finally found something worth protecting, the most beautiful sight I have ever seen!” Angela said, grabbed Bastion’s hand. There was certainly an abundance of beauty in the field but of all the flowers and glistening raindrops, Bastion only kept his sensors focused on her. 

“Thank you for showing me this, Bastion.” Anegla said with a smile. “I’m glad I could be here with you.”


End file.
